THE body of the Australian soldier whose smile would "crack the frown off a hundred faces" arrives home this week.
Sergeant Brett Till was farewelled by fellow diggers in Tarin Kowt, southern Afghanistan, on Saturday.He became the 10th Australian soldier killed in Afghanistan while trying to defuse an improvised explosive device (IED) last Thursday.
The 31-year-old was the fourth Australian to die from an IED blast in Afghanistan.
A cortege of vehicles, including one carrying Sergeant Till's flag-draped casket, passed along a route lined by his Australian colleagues and representatives from coalition forces in Oruzgan.
Eight of his mates then carried his casket into an awaiting RAAF C-130 Hercules, which will bring Sergeant Till home.
Sergeant Till was serving with the Special Operations Task Group (SOTG).
The group's commanding officer, whose name has not been released, said Sergeant Till's death was not in vain.
"Without question, Brett's work on the day he died saved the lives of his mates," the officer said.
"He was a man who, with his team, would deliberately place himself directly between dangerous and unstable high explosive devices and the soldiers of SOTG on a daily basis, in order to ensure that they could carry out their important mission to make this country a safer place.
"Brett will be forever remembered both here and at home as a bloke that made a difference and saved lives."
Sergeant Till's body will arrive in Australia later this week.
Details of his arrival have yet to be released.
Sergeant Till's widow, Bree Till, paid tribute to her husband on Saturday, in a statement released by the Australian Defence Force.
"Brett was such a beautiful man. His smile would crack the frowns off a hundred faces," she said.
